Deadline: 10-Sep-24
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a notice of funding opportunity to ensure Environmental Justice, Human Wellbeing, and Ecosystem Recovery in Puget Sound.
The overall goal of the program to be established under this NOFO is to advance EJ by directing resources and ultimately environmental and community benefits toward overburdened, underserved, or communities adversely and disproportionately affected by environmental and human health harms or risks (communities with potential EJ concerns). They also anticipate that the program will support improved, long-term funding integration of EJ principles into Puget Sound restoration and recovery.
The NOFO’s primary objective is to establish a support programs, consisting of subawards and other forms of support that advances EJ in the restoration and recovery of the Puget Sound ecosystem and its communities. Other forms of support may include mechanisms such as “participant support costs, contracts, micro purchases, and organizational capacity. The successful applicant will develop and administer a support program that will fund projects and activities that focus on providing environmental and community benefits. In addition, the successful applicant will work collaboratively to support the Puget Sound restoration and recovery process and provide resource capacity and assistance for communities, sub-awardees, and other entities advancing EJ in the restoration and recovery of the Puget Sound ecosystem and its communities. EPA anticipates awarding up to $7 million over two years of incremental funding under this announcement. No match is required for the applicant or sub-awardees.
Program Goals and Objectives
- The long-term goal of this NOFO is toward achievement of EJ by directing resources and ultimately environmental and community benefits toward communities with potential EJ concerns. They also anticipate that this NOFO and the resulting project outputs and outcomes will lead to improved, longer-term integration of EJ principles into Puget Sound restoration and recovery. To achieve this, EPA plans to select and fund one organization (that organization may identify collaborating organizations) to manage and implement Puget Sound restoration, recovery, and community engagement with a focus on EJ and consistent with the 2022-2026 Puget Sound Action Agenda.
- Specifically, the successful applicant will:
- Develop and administer a support program that includes subawards and non-subaward forms of support such as participant support costs, contracts, micro purchases, and organizational capacity.
- Provide technical assistance, capacity support, and coordinate meaningful engagement with communities with EJ concerns.
- Manage this cooperative agreement with EPA
- Applicants should demonstrate their ability and approach for managing this cooperative agreement by describing:
- How they have experience or expertise working with communities with potential EJ concerns.
- How they have experience or expertise working and collaborating with the various Puget Sound restoration partners through the management conference and other mechanisms.
- How their efforts would result in improved EJ integration into the 2022-2026 Puget Sound Action Agenda implementation.
- How they would use these funds efficiently, effectively, and develop appropriate organizational capacity to facilitate a subaward program and other support
Funding Information
- EPA anticipates awarding one cooperative agreement from this NOFO, subject to the availability of funds, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. The total estimated federal funding anticipated is approximately $7,000,000 from Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding, to be incrementally funded over 2 years. Projects periods may be up to 6 years. Incremental funding after the initial award is subject to future appropriations, satisfactory performance of work, and other applicable considerations.
Outputs
- Examples of some expected outputs from funded project(s) may include the following:
- Draft and final plans for a subaward cycle that includes a solicitation phase, a proposal review process and phase, a subaward contracting phase, a subrecipient monitoring and support phase, and a closeout phase.
- Mechanisms for ensuring that communities with potential EJ concerns’ input and interests are considered in environmental decision making.
- Assessment results that demonstrate ways to improve public participation from communities with potential EJ concerns.
- A study into the feasibility of creating a public participation/meaningful engagement program.
- Community engagement and participation program with fair treatment and meaningful participation priorities.
- Draft and final plans for coordinating with PSP, SIL, Tribal Implementation Lead, and other Management Conference Puget Sound recovery partners.
- Documentation of subaward monitoring activities.
Outcomes
- EPA encourages recipients to identify outcomes wherever possible because they lead to environmental and/or public health improvement more clearly than outputs. Here are examples of possible outcomes:
- The Puget Sound Management Conference has a substantive understanding and appreciation of EJ and the importance of community participation and engagement in implementation of the 2022-2026 Puget Sound Action Agenda.
- Communities with potential EJ concerns are more represented in the Management Conference and are involved in the implementation of the 2022-2026 Puget Sound Action Agenda.
- Measurable progress toward Puget Sound ecosystem recovery targets that benefits communities with potential EJ concerns.
Eligibility Criteria
- As described in Assistance Listing 66.123, eligible entities are:
- Federal government agencies and Washington State government agencies.
- Public and private institutions of higher education located in the United States.
- Units of local government organized under Washington State law and located within the Greater Puget Sound basin.
- Special purpose districts, as defined by Washington State law at RCW 36.93.020, including but not limited to, irrigation districts, and water and sewer districts that are located in or govern land and water resources within the greater Puget Sound basin.
- Conservation districts located in or governing land and water resources within the greater Puget Sound Basin.
- Watershed planning units formed under RCW 90.82.040 and RCW 90.82.060, local management boards organized under RCW 90.88.030, salmon recovery lead entities organized pursuant to RCW 77.850, regional fisheries enhancement groups organized pursuant to RCW 77.95.060 and Marine Resource Committees organized pursuant to RCW 36.125.010 and RCW 36.125.020 if they are located within or their jurisdictions include waters and/or lands within the greater Puget Sound basin.
- Intrastate organizations such as associations of cities, counties, or conservation districts in the greater Puget Sound basin.
- Nonprofit nongovernmental entities.
- Federally recognized tribes located within the greater Puget Sound basin and any consortium of these eligible tribes. An Intertribal consortium must have adequate documentation of the existence of the partnership and the authorization of the member tribes to apply for and receive assistance.
- For-profit business entities, private individuals, and families are not eligible to apply. However, all of these types of entities could partner with an eligible applicant (e.g., as a sub-awardee, if consistent with EPA’s subaward policies and requirements).
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
